This is my go-to pastry recipe for all sweet tarts & pies including my lemon meringue pie, rich chocolate tart & pumpkin pie. It is delicious, easy to make & takes very little effort as the food processor does all of the hard work! In fact, it has never failed me and so I often adapt other recipes so that I can use this sweet pastry and feel confident that it will be beautifully short, crisp & stable.
Ingredients (serves 10-12)
1 ½ cups plain flour
3 teaspoons icing sugar
140g cold butter, chopped
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons water
Method
Put flour, icing sugar, butter, egg yolk & water into a food process & process until it just comes together.
Press dough into a ball, knead it gently on a floured surface until smooth and refrigerate for 30 minutes, covered in clingfilm.
Preheat the oven to 180°C fan-forced. Lightly grease a 24cm loose-bottomed flan tin (also works in 20cm with more left over, or 26 cm with very little extra).
After pastry has rested, roll out on a floured surface using a rolling pin until large enough to line the tin.
Lift pastry into the tin, ease into the sides and trim the edge. Prick holes in the bottom using a fork.
Place tin in an oven tray, line pastry with baking paper and fill with pie weights or uncooked rice.
Bake for 10 minutes and then remove baking paper and weights and bake, uncovered, for a further 10 minutes or until pastry case is lightly brown.
(This is if the pastry will be cooked again with the filling in it. If not, cook until golden brown and then add the filling once cool).
Adapted from the Lemon Meringue Pie pastry by the Australian Women’s Weekly
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